WhatsApp Account Protect feature: You might need your old device to switch WhatsApp account to the new one

To protect the privacy of users, WhatsApp added end-to-end encryption for personal messages in the past. The company is now adding more to improve the security of the Messaging platform.

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An upcoming security feature “Account Protect” will double check your identity before switching your WhatsApp account to a new phone from your old device. It means WhatsApp may ask you to verify that you owned the account and want to move to a new device by tapping on “move to new phone”. This feature will be available for both Android and iPhones.

“If you need to switch your WhatsApp account to a new device – we want to double check that it’s really you. From now on, we may ask you on your old device to verify that you want to take this step as an extra security check. This feature can help alert you to an unauthorized attempt to move your account to another device.”

In addition, WhatsApp is bringing two more security features. One is device verification and the other is Automatic security code.

“Device Verification: Mobile device malware is one of the biggest threats to people’s privacy and security today because it can take advantage of your phone without your permission and use your WhatsApp to send unwanted messages. To help prevent this, we have added checks to help authenticate your account – with no action needed from you – and better protect you if your device is compromised. This lets you continue using WhatsApp uninterrupted. Go deeper on the tech here.

Automatic Security Codes: Our most security conscious users have always been able to take advantage of our security code verification feature, which helps ensure you are chatting with the intended recipient. You can check this manually by going to the encryption tab under a contact’s info. To make this process easier and more accessible to everyone, we’re rolling out a security feature based on a process called “Key Transparency” that allows you to automatically verify that you have a secure connection. What it means for you is that when you click on the encryption tab, you’ll be able to verify right away that your personal conversation is secured. For those interested in going deeper into the tech, click here.”

In addition to these three security updates, WhatsApp is also suggested to use for extra security of your account. You can turn on: two-step verification and use end-to-end encrypted backups.